Alipay+ expands in Nepal with Himalayan Bank, enabling cashless payments at 25,000+ merchants for travelers from 10 regions via the MOCO Unified QR Code system.

Alipay+, the cross-border mobile payment and digital solutions platform by Ant International, has expanded its presence in Nepal through a partnership with local acquirer Himalayan Bank. This collaboration enables over 10 additional payment partners to be accepted across Nepal. More than 25,000 local merchants now accept Alipay+, offering travelers from 10 countries and regions a seamless cashless payment experience using the MOCO Unified QR Code. Since 2019, Alipay – a partner of Alipay+ – has been available for Chinese tourists.

As of September 2024, 12 Alipay+ partner payment apps are accepted in Nepal, including Alipay (Chinese mainland), AlipayHK (Hong Kong SAR), Tinaba (Italy), MPay (Macao SAR), MyPB by Public Bank Berhad (Malaysia), Hipay (Mongolia), GCash (Philippines), Changi Pay and OCBC Digital (Singapore), Naver Pay and Toss Pay (South Korea), and TrueMoney (Thailand). More payment apps will be introduced in the coming months.

According to the Nepal Tourism Board, tourist arrivals increased by 8.3% in August 2024, with over 720,000 visitors recorded in the first eight months of the year. Data from Alipay, a key Alipay+ partner, shows a threefold increase in transactions by Chinese tourists from January to August 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. Additionally, tourists from Thailand, South Korea, and Italy are among the top visitors to Nepal.

Merchants working with Himalayan Bank and accepting the MOCO Unified QR Code cover a wide range of tourism-related sectors, including retail, food and beverage, and tourist attractions. This ensures that Alipay+ users enjoy a smooth, cashless travel experience throughout Nepal. FOCUSONE Payment Solutions Pvt. Ltd., a fintech company in Nepal, facilitates QR payment services for Himalayan Bank and other acquiring banks. FOCUSONE’s MOCO Unified QR Code, introduced in 2019, is Nepal’s first cross-border, cross-currency unified QR payment solution, accepting payments from Alipay since its inception.

Launched in 2020 by Ant International, Alipay+ now connects over 90 million merchants across 66 countries and regions to 1.6 billion consumer accounts from more than 30 e-wallets and banking apps. This allows users to travel and pay easily across borders while enabling merchants to expand their digital marketing and cross-border consumer engagement.

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